Study in Switzerland – ETH Zurich, EPFL, Zurich, Geneva, St. Gallen 2026

You’re on a train from Zurich to Lausanne – a journey of less than two hours along Lake Zurich, through green pastures dotted with cows wearing bells, beneath the snow-capped peaks of the Bernese Alps, all the way to Lake Geneva, which shimmers like molten silver in the October sun. Elsewhere in the world, changing an intercity train means a change of scenery. In Switzerland, changing a train means a change of language, culture, and an entire approach to education – you jump from precise, German-speaking Zurich to more relaxed, French-speaking Lausanne. And both these traditions produce universities that regularly outperform Oxbridge in engineering rankings. This is no coincidence – it’s a system.

Switzerland is a country that breaks every rule of European higher education. ETH Zurich – ranked 7th globally in the QS 2025 ranking – charges tuition fees of just 730 CHF per semester (approx. 760 EUR), identical for Swiss and international students. EPFL Lausanne – ranked 14th worldwide – charges a mere 780 CHF per semester. No British or American university of comparable standing comes close to these figures. The catch? Zurich and Geneva are among the most expensive cities on the planet, entrance exams can filter out 70% of applicants, and for Bachelor’s programs, you’ll need German or French. But if you’re ready for these challenges, Switzerland offers something you won’t find anywhere else: MIT-caliber universities at a fraction of the cost of other top global institutions.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through five of the most important Swiss universities – ETH Zurich, EPFL Lausanne, the University of Zurich, the University of Geneva, and HSG St. Gallen – covering admissions and entrance exams, costs (tuition fees and the other, real costs), scholarships, and career prospects in pharma, finance, and tech. If you’re an international high school graduate dreaming of a STEM, business, or science degree at the absolute European top, this article will show you how to achieve it – step by step.

Rankings and Reputation – Why Switzerland is in a League of its Own

No other country on the European continent boasts two universities in the global top 15. ETH Zurich and EPFL Lausanne are a phenomenon without equal – even Germany, with TU Munich (#37 QS) and LMU Munich (#54 QS), doesn’t come close to this level. ETH ranks 7th globally in the QS 2025 ranking – ahead of Princeton, Caltech, and Columbia. EPFL is 14th – on par with Cornell and Yale. This isn’t a regional league. This is the absolute global elite.

But Switzerland isn’t just about its two federal institutes of technology. The University of Zurich (UZH) – with 12 Nobel laureates, including Albert Einstein (yes, Einstein had more ties to UZH than most people realize) – ranks in the QS top 80 and is strongest in medicine, law, economics, and natural sciences. The University of Geneva (UNIGE) – in the QS top 120 – offers a unique location at the heart of international diplomacy (home to the UN, WHO, Red Cross, CERN) and is a powerhouse in particle physics, international relations, and international law. HSG St. Gallen – formally Universität St. Gallen – is, in turn, the best business and management school in continental Europe (Financial Times #1 Masters in Management), an institution that educates the CEOs of Credit Suisse, UBS, and dozens of other global corporations.

What unites these universities? Generous public funding (Switzerland spends over 3% of its GDP on research and development – the highest percentage in Europe), incredibly low tuition fees even at the best universities, and an academic culture that blends German precision with French creativity. Compare this to UCL at 28,100 GBP annually or Imperial College at 38,900 GBP – and you’ll understand why Switzerland offers the most unbeatable quality-to-price ratio in global higher education.

Step-by-Step Admissions – How to Get into a Swiss University with a Polish Matura

Forget what you know about admissions in the UK (UCAS) or the Netherlands (Studielink). The Swiss system is entirely different – and varies by university. There’s no single central portal or one set of requirements. Each university has its own rules, but the fundamental news for international students with a Polish high school diploma is good: the Polish Matura exam is recognized in Switzerland. Your diploma appears in the Anabin database as “H+” (comparable to a Swiss Matura), which opens doors for you – though often with additional conditions.

ETH Zurich – admissions are based on an entrance exam. The Polish Matura is recognized, but does not guarantee direct admission. If you have advanced level subjects in mathematics and physics (or chemistry, depending on the program), you qualify for the Reduced Entrance Exam – you only take subjects you didn’t cover at the advanced level in your Matura. If you’re missing one of the key advanced level subjects, you take the full Comprehensive Entrance Exam, which covers 5–6 subjects and is significantly more difficult (pass rate approx. 20–25%). Registration for the exam closes on November 30, and the exam itself takes place in September in Zurich. Detailed information about ETH admissions can be found in our dedicated guide to ETH Zurich.

EPFL Lausanne – the approach is diametrically different. EPFL practically doesn’t filter at entry – if your Polish Matura includes advanced level subjects in mathematics and physics, you are admitted to the first year without an entrance exam. Sounds too good to be true? That’s because the selection happens after a year: a brutal Basisprüfung (exams covering all first-year subjects) eliminates 40–50% of students. You are allowed one retake – if you don’t pass the second time, you are definitively dismissed. This is EPFL’s deliberate strategy: open doors at entry, ruthless selection within. Details in our EPFL guide.

The University of Zurich (UZH) and the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have simpler admissions. The Polish Matura is usually recognized directly – without an entrance exam. UZH requires a translated diploma, a language certificate (German C1 – Goethe-Zertifikat C1, TestDaF 4-5, or DSH-2), and fulfillment of program-specific requirements. UNIGE – similarly, but with a French certificate (DELF B2/C1). At both universities, the application deadline is usually April 30 for the autumn semester.

HSG St. Gallen – the only university in Switzerland with its own entrance exam for all international candidates, regardless of their high school diploma. The HSG Admission Test is a 3-hour test assessing analytical thinking, language competence, and text comprehension. Approximately 30–40% of candidates pass it. Additionally, a German C1 certificate (for German-taught programs) or TOEFL 100/IELTS 7.0 (for the English-taught Assessment Year) is required. HSG is a smaller university (8,500 students) but with an extremely strong reputation in management and finance.

Key information for international applicants: the SAT is not accepted at any of these universities for Bachelor’s degree admissions. ETH, EPFL, UZH, UNIGE, and HSG rely on high school diplomas, entrance exams, and language certificates. If you’re interested in an SAT-friendly path in Europe, check out our guide to universities accepting the SAT or TU Munich in Germany – there, the SAT can replace an entrance exam. At prepclass.io, you can prepare for the TOEFL and IELTS required for English-taught Master’s programs, and at okiro.io for the SAT, which could be your Plan B if Switzerland doesn’t work out.

Universities and Programs – What to Study in Switzerland?

The choice of university in Switzerland depends on three variables: your program of study, language, and risk tolerance. Let’s go through the five key options.

ETH Zurich is the undisputed number one if you’re aiming for engineering, computer science, natural sciences, or mathematics. ETH’s Computer Science Department is regularly ranked as the best in Europe and in the global top 5 – it educates engineers who go on to work at Google Zurich (Google’s largest office outside the USA!), ABB, Siemens, and hundreds of startups in the Crypto Valley (Zug) region. ETH’s architecture program has legendary status – alumni include Santiago Calatrava and Herzog & de Meuron. Physics studies? In the very building where Einstein formulated the theory of relativity. Every Bachelor’s program at ETH lasts 3 years, is taught in German, and culminates in the Basisprüfung after the first year, which eliminates approximately 30–40% of students. It’s a system that rewards discipline and resilience – but if you survive it, you’ll have a diploma recognized in every laboratory and engineering office worldwide. A full analysis of ETH programs and departments can be found in our detailed guide.

EPFL Lausanne is ETH’s sister institution, but with a completely different character. Where ETH is German, precise, and traditional, EPFL is French-speaking, innovative, and architecturally futuristic (its campus was designed by Pritzker Prize winners SANAA, among others – the Rolex Learning Center looks like a wave frozen in glass). EPFL is phenomenal in computer science (programs in machine learning, data science, cybersecurity), microengineering (one of the best departments in the world, creating MEMS and nanotechnology), neurosciences (the Blue Brain Project – simulating the human brain), and energy. With its campus on Lake Geneva, students from 120 countries, and 60% international students – EPFL is the most cosmopolitan technical university in Europe. More in our EPFL guide.

The University of Zurich (UZH) is a classical university – medicine, law, economics, humanities, natural sciences. If you’re interested in medicine in Switzerland, UZH is one of the best options (QS top 40 in medicine), but beware – admissions for medicine involve the central EMS test (Eignungstest für das Medizinstudium), taken in July, in German, with a limited number of places. Economics at UZH (Department of Economics) ranks in the global top 50 – a strong alternative to HSG if you prefer an academic approach over a business one. Veterinary medicine, bioinformatics, computational linguistics – UZH offers programs you won’t find at ETH.

The University of Geneva (UNIGE) is a university that draws strength from its location. Geneva is the capital of international diplomacy – the European headquarters of the UN, WHO, Red Cross, UNHCR, WTO, and just around the corner lies CERN – the world’s largest particle physics laboratory. If you dream of a career in international organizations, UNIGE offers programs in international relations and international law that have direct connections to these institutions. Particle physics at UNIGE is a pathway to CERN – many researchers start there as UNIGE students. Tuition fees? Just 500 CHF per semester – the cheapest of the five.

HSG St. Gallen is in a completely different category. This small university (8,500 students) in the Alpine town of St. Gallen specializes exclusively in management, finance, economics, and law – and does it better than almost any university on the continent. The Financial Times regularly places HSG programs in the top 3 Masters in Management worldwide, alongside HEC Paris and London Business School. HSG alumni are CEOs and board members of Europe’s largest companies – Credit Suisse, UBS, Nestlé, Swiss Re, Zurich Insurance. The HSG St. Gallen Management Symposium – organized by students! – is one of the largest business congresses in the world. If your goal is a career in corporate finance, strategic consulting, or C-suite management, HSG is virtually unrivaled in continental Europe. Compare it to LSE or CBS Copenhagen – HSG wins in the corporate networking category.

Cost of Study and Living – The Brutal Truth About Switzerland

Here’s the paradox of Switzerland: tuition fees are ridiculously low, but living costs are astronomically high. You must consider these two facts together to make a rational decision. Let’s start with the good news.

Tuition fees at ETH Zurich are 730 CHF per semester (approx. 760 EUR) – identical for Swiss, European, and non-EU students. There’s no “international fee surcharge,” no hidden extras. EPFL charges 780 CHF per semester (approx. 810 EUR). UZH – 720 CHF, UNIGE – a mere 500 CHF. The only exception is HSG St. Gallen, which charges 3,129 CHF per semester for international students (approx. 3,250 EUR) – more expensive than the rest, but still a fraction of the cost of comparable business schools in the UK. For comparison: Imperial College London costs over 38,900 GBP annually (approx. 45,400 EUR) – almost 30 times more than ETH per year.

Now for the bad news. Zurich and Geneva regularly rank in the top 5 most expensive cities in the world (according to the Mercer Cost of Living Survey 2024). A realistic monthly student budget looks like this:

Accommodation – this is by far the largest expense. A room in a shared apartment in Zurich costs 700–1,200 CHF per month (730–1,250 EUR). In Lausanne, it’s slightly cheaper: 600–1,000 CHF. In Geneva – comparable to Zurich. In St. Gallen – significantly cheaper: 500–800 CHF. ETH and UZH offer places in student dormitories run by WOKO and Stiftung für Studentisches Wohnen – but waiting lists can be long. EPFL has on-campus housing (FMEL) for 400–700 CHF/month – these are some of the most attractive options in the country. Advice: apply for a dorm room immediately after acceptance – the private rental market in Zurich is one of the tightest in Europe.

Food costs 400–600 CHF per month if you cook at home and use discount supermarkets (Denner, Lidl, Aldi). Meals in university canteens cost 6–10 CHF – almost the only place in Switzerland where eating out doesn’t break the bank. A sandwich in central Zurich is 8–12 CHF, coffee 5–6 CHF. Transport – a monthly ZVV pass in Zurich is approx. 80 CHF with a Half-Fare Travelcard discount; many universities offer a semester transport pass. Health insurance is mandatory and is a cost that surprises many students – the EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) is not valid in Switzerland. A student health policy costs 80–120 CHF per month (e.g., Swica, CSS, Helsana).

Total monthly cost of living: 1,300–2,000 CHF in Zurich, 1,100–1,750 CHF in Lausanne, 1,200–1,900 CHF in Geneva, 900–1,400 CHF in St. Gallen. Annually, this means 13,000–24,000 CHF (13,500–25,000 EUR) for living expenses alone, plus 1,460 CHF in tuition fees at ETH. In total: 15,000–26,500 EUR per year at ETH, approx. 12,000–20,000 EUR at UNIGE. This is more than studying in Germany (9,000–14,000 EUR) or Italy (9,000–16,000 EUR), but less than in the UK – where tuition fees alone at top universities exceed 25,000 GBP, and London adds another 15,000–20,000 GBP annually.

Scholarships and Financial Support

Let’s be realistic – with living costs of 1,300–2,000 CHF per month, a scholarship isn’t a luxury but a necessity for most international students. Fortunately, options exist, though they require effort and planning.

The ETH Excellence Scholarship (ESOP) is the most prestigious scholarship at ETH – it covers tuition fees + living costs (up to 12,000 CHF per semester, or 24,000 CHF annually). Note: ESOP is available exclusively for Master’s studies, not Bachelor’s. Criteria: GPA in the top 3% of your Bachelor’s cohort, outstanding academic achievements. Competition is intense – approximately 50 spots annually for several thousand applications.

EPFL Excellence Fellowships – for Master’s students. Covers tuition fees + up to 25,000 CHF per year for living costs. A GPA in the top 10% of your cohort is required. EPFL awards approximately 40 such fellowships annually.

Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships (ESKAS) – this is a Swiss government scholarship, available to Polish citizens. It covers tuition fees + a monthly living grant of 1,920 CHF per month + health insurance. The application is submitted through the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education (not directly to the university). Deadline: usually November of the year before studies begin. This is one of the most generous scholarships for studying in Switzerland – it’s worth applying, even if the chances are limited.

Cantonal scholarships – individual cantons (Zurich, Vaud, Geneva, St. Gallen) offer scholarships and grants for students with low incomes. Amounts: 2,000–15,000 CHF annually, depending on the canton and financial situation. For UZH and ETH, information on cantonal scholarships can be found on stipendien.ch.

Student jobs – EU citizens can work in Switzerland without hourly restrictions during their studies (unlike non-EU students, who have a 15h/week limit). Hourly rates in Switzerland are among the highest in the world – even simple work in a cafe or shop brings in 20–28 CHF/hour. At 10–15 hours per week, this amounts to 800–1,700 CHF per month – which can cover a significant portion of living costs. ETH and EPFL regularly employ students as Hilfsassistenten (teaching assistants) for 25–35 CHF/hour. Many international students at ETH and EPFL finance their studies through a combination of student work + savings + parental support – without a scholarship.

Student Life in Switzerland – Four Cities, Four Worlds

Student life in Switzerland is as diverse as the country itself – a country where, within 200 kilometers, you change language, culinary culture, and sense of humor.

Zurich is a city that combines German efficiency with an unexpected artistic soul. The center – Niederdorf, Langstrasse, Europaallee – buzzes with cafes, bars, and boutiques. In summer, ETH and UZH students flock to the banks of the Limmatquai and Lake Zurich – the city’s swimming areas (Badi) with wooden piers and Alpine views are probably the most beautiful “plages” in inland Europe. In winter, life moves to Fondue-Stüberl, bars on Langstrasse, and ski trips to the Alps (Flumserberg, Laax, Davos – accessible by train in 1–2 hours). ETH hosts the legendary Polyball – the largest university ball in Europe, with over 10,000 guests. International students at ETH praise the quality of the laboratories (equipment they haven’t seen at any other university), but warn about the intensity – the Basisprüfung after the first year is a test not only of knowledge but also of mental resilience. Prices? Beer in a bar: 7–9 CHF. Kebab: 10–12 CHF. Club entry: 15–25 CHF. It’s not cheap, but student discounts and the Mensa (cafeteria) help you get by.

Lausanne is a more relaxed, French-speaking version of Zurich – smaller (140,000 inhabitants), but with one of the most beautiful campus locations in the world. EPFL on Lake Geneva, with views of the Savoy Alps and the terraced Lavaux vineyards (UNESCO) descending to the water – it’s the kind of landscape that turns a lunch break into a meditation. Lausanne is more student-centric than Zurich – 30% of its residents are students (EPFL + University of Lausanne). Nightlife is concentrated in the Flon district, and in summer, all of Lausanne moves to the lake. EPFL is a university where internationality is the norm, not the exception – 60% of students are from outside Switzerland, and English is often the lingua franca in the corridors, even though official lectures are conducted in French.

Geneva is a city where diplomacy is an industry – and UNIGE students are part of that ecosystem. The European headquarters of the UN, CERN, WHO, UNHCR – these are not abstract institutions, but potential employers for internships. Geneva is cosmopolitan to the point of absurdity – over 40% of residents are foreigners; on the streets, you hear French, English, Arabic, Spanish. Lake Geneva with its iconic Jet d’Eau fountain, the Old Town with views of Mont Blanc, weekend trips to Chamonix (45 minutes by car!) – life in Geneva is expensive, but beautiful.

St. Gallen is on a completely different scale – a small Alpine town (80,000 inhabitants) where HSG dominates social life. It’s a university where networking is a sport – students organize the St. Gallen Symposium, which attracts Fortune 500 CEOs, Nobel laureates, and heads of state. The atmosphere is more “elite club” than “large campus” – which is an advantage if you’re looking for intense business relationships, and a disadvantage if you prefer the anonymity of a big city.

Career Prospects – Pharma, Finance, Tech

Graduates of Swiss universities enter one of the most lucrative job markets in the world. The average salary in Switzerland is over 6,500 CHF per month (approx. 6,800 EUR) – the highest in Europe. ETH and EPFL graduates earn even more: the median annual salary one year after graduation is approximately 85,000–95,000 CHF in the private sector.

Three sectors dominate the Swiss job market for graduates of top universities:

Pharma and Life Sciences – Switzerland is home to Roche (Basel) and Novartis (Basel), two of the three largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Zurich and Basel form one of Europe’s strongest biotech clusters. ETH and UZH graduates in biology, chemistry, and pharmacy flock to these companies – Roche is one of the largest employers of ETH graduates.

Finance and Banking – Zurich, alongside London and Frankfurt, is one of Europe’s three main financial centers. UBS, Credit Suisse (now UBS), Swiss Re, Zurich Insurance, Julius Bär – these are companies that consider ETH (quantitative finance, mathematics), HSG (management, finance), and UZH (economics) as their talent pool. HSG St. Gallen is the Swiss equivalent of what LSE is in London.

Tech – Google Zurich is Google’s largest engineering office outside the USA – with over 5,000 employees, many from ETH and EPFL. Microsoft, Apple, IBM, and Meta have R&D centers in Switzerland. The Crypto Valley region (Zug, 30 minutes from Zurich) is a global hub for blockchain and fintech. Nvidia, Arm, and dozens of AI startups operate within the ETH/EPFL ecosystem. Computer science graduates from ETH have some of the highest starting salaries in Europe – 100,000–130,000 CHF annually in big tech.

Important information: after completing your studies in Switzerland, you can apply for a 6-month residence permit to search for a job. As an EU citizen, you have additional advantages – the EU-Switzerland agreement on the free movement of persons allows you to work without a special permit if you have a job offer. This is a significant advantage over graduates from the UK (where the Graduate Visa is 2 years, but requires a sponsored visa after that period).

The Language Barrier – How to Prepare

Let’s be honest – the language barrier is the biggest obstacle for international high school graduates considering Bachelor’s studies in Switzerland. At ETH and UZH, you need German C1. At EPFL and UNIGE – French B2–C1. This isn’t a requirement you can bypass with a CAE certificate or an equivalent – this is the language in which you’ll attend lectures, take exams, and write papers.

The good news: if you’re studying German at an advanced level in high school, you have a solid foundation. The level of the advanced German Matura roughly corresponds to B1–B2 – you’ll need another 6–12 months of intensive work to reach C1. The Goethe-Institut offers preparatory courses, and ETH runs a Sprachzentrum with courses specifically for prospective students. For those starting from scratch – plan for at least 2 years of study.

With French, the situation is similar, but EPFL is slightly more lenient: it doesn’t require a formal certificate, and language proficiency is assessed based on documents and (sometimes) an interview. Many EPFL students begin their studies with French at a B2 level and develop it during the first year – though I warn you, taking the Basisprüfung in French with a B2 level is a truly significant challenge.

The alternative? Master’s studies – at this level, most programs at ETH, EPFL, and HSG are taught in English. If you don’t know German or French but dream of a Swiss university, the safest path is: a Bachelor’s degree in your home country or in the Netherlands (English-taught programs), followed by a Master’s at ETH/EPFL in English. TOEFL 100+ or IELTS 7.0 is sufficient – prepare with prepclass.io, which offers practice tests with AI feedback. A comparison of language certificates can be found in our TOEFL vs IELTS guide.

Quality of Life – Why Switzerland is Worth its Price

Yes, Switzerland is expensive. But there’s a reason people pay these prices – and it’s not just wealthy bankers. Switzerland offers a quality of life you won’t find anywhere else in Europe. Public transport operates with clockwork precision (literally – SBB, the Swiss national railway, defines a delay as >3 minutes). Trains are clean, punctual, and connect every town in the country. The Half-Fare Travelcard (Halbtax) for 185 CHF/year gives a 50% discount on all journeys – a student with a Halbtax can travel from Zurich to Zermatt and back for 40 CHF on a weekend.

Safety is at a level that shocks people from larger European cities – you leave your laptop on a cafe table, go get coffee, and return to your laptop. The Alps are literally around the corner – ETH students go skiing after lectures (seriously – Flumserberg is 75 minutes by train from Zurich). In summer – hiking, swimming in crystal-clear lakes, cycling through vineyards. Multilingualism is the norm – you’ll meet people effortlessly switching between German, French, and English in a single conversation.

Is it worth 1,500 CHF more per month than Berlin or Rotterdam? That depends on your priorities. But if you value safety, nature, perfect infrastructure, and the opportunity to study at an MIT-caliber university surrounded by Alpine landscapes – Switzerland is hard to beat.

Summary – Is Switzerland for You?

Switzerland offers the best value in global higher education – if you consider the ratio of ranking position to tuition fees. No other country offers universities in the world’s top 15 for 730 CHF per semester. But this offer comes with a caveat: you must know the language (German or French), survive brutal selection exams, and manage living costs that can overwhelm an unprepared student.

Who is Switzerland ideal for? For an international high school graduate who is studying German or French in high school, has STEM or business ambitions at the absolute top, and is ready for a demanding academic environment. For someone seeking the best possible education at a fraction of the UK’s price – and who isn’t afraid of entrance exams.

Next steps:

1. Check your language level – does your German/French allow you to aim for C1 by the application deadline? If not – consider the English-taught Master’s path.
2. Read the detailed guides – ETH Zurich and EPFL Lausanne have separate articles with more precise admissions information.
3. Take a language certificate exam – IELTS/TOEFL if you’re aiming for a Master’s (prepare with prepclass.io), Goethe C1/DELF C1 if you’re aiming for a Bachelor’s.
4. Plan your budget – a minimum of 1,300 CHF/month (Zurich), 1,100 CHF (Lausanne) – plus a reserve for health insurance.
5. Consider a Plan B – TU Munich accepts the SAT and has zero tuition fees; KU Leuven offers English-taught programs for 940 EUR/year; Dutch universities from our guide accept the Polish Matura without entrance exams.
6. Check Matura conversion – our guide explains how your results translate into foreign systems.

Switzerland is not an easy path. But if you dream of a diploma that opens doors at Google, CERN, McKinsey, or Novartis – and you want to pay 730 CHF per semester instead of 40,000 GBP – then this is a path worth considering very seriously. Good luck.